The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intensified its nationwide crackdown, recording a string of high-profile drug seizures that signal tougher times for traffickers operating by air, land and sea.
At Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, on arrival from São Paulo.
A body scan and search revealed cocaine strapped to his thigh and hidden in his footwear, with a total of 1.6 kilograms recovered.
The suspect admitted buying the drugs in Brazil for resale in Nigeria.
In one of the largest single seizures, NDLEA officers at the Tincan Seaport uncovered 1,183 kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a strong strain of cannabis, concealed inside two vehicles imported from Montreal.
Similar operations across Niger, Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Kano states led to the interception of trucks and vehicles loaded with hundreds of kilograms of skunk, synthetic cannabis, tramadol and pentazocine injections, as well as the destruction of a sprawling cannabis farm in Edo State where over four tonnes of drugs were destroyed.
Additional seizures were made in Lagos and along the Seme border, where drugs were hidden in luggage, sound systems and food items.
The NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi says the coordinated operations reflect its determination to dismantle trafficking networks and protect public health, warning that no route remains beyond its reach.
Reporting By Nosa Aituamen